More Than A Name

Bebee. Crockett. Jewell. Jones. Retherford. To an average person, these appear to be nothing more than a listing of random surnames. Yet to me, these surnames are much more than a simple connection to a country or place of origin. They are part of my diverse and storied history. They are the names my sister and I are tracking, among with hundreds of others from varied origin and nationality. So, upon further reflection, which names mean more to you?

My sister is a whiz at family history. She centerposts and maintains hundreds, if not thousands, of records for the Name family line. Together, and with the assistance of family members, we are excited and engaged in the work of piecing together the branches of our family pedigree. We have become entrepreneurs of sort; we have begun a journey of exploration, and the discoveries we have made along the way are both joyous and overwhelming.

One such discovery occurred this past weekend, and although it is not my personal experience to share, I am so elated by the news that I cannot help myself. I feel compelled to mention that my foreword begins with a hearty kudos to my sister for her diligent activity on several genealogical websites. If she had not put herself out there, she would not have made contact with Jim Wilburn, the man who makes this particular story possible.

In the late hours of Saturday, January 9, my sister Angie received an email from a gentleman residing in Logan, Ohio; he informed her of a purchase he made at an antique mall in southeastern Ohio. He came across photos dating back into the late 1800s; two little girls were featured among these photos and their names were written on the back by the photographer. He felt inspired to seek out the family to whom these little girls belong. He began searching genealogical sites and was connected with the Name family and directed to Angie's contact information. As it turns out, these two little girls are sisters in the branch of our Retherford family line. The gentleman wanted to return these photos to their rightful family, asking for no compensation or grand gesture in return.

Skipping back to two weeks prior, I had planned a temple day with my sister and we set the date for January 15. I have been having a bit of an inward struggle knowing which names I should bring with me on that day. As Angie and I reviewed the cards we are presently working on, we looked for the names of the sisters in the photo. My anticipation (and heart palpitations) heightened as I discovered that I have a card with one sister's name and Angie has the card of the other sister. We no longer need to decide which names will receive their ordinance work this Friday. Inspiration and a blessing from Ohio showed us the answer.

I marvel at the work that is going forth. I am fortunate and grateful to be a part of it. I pray as we strive to move forward, doors will continue to be opened. I also pray the names which have become cloudy and fuzzy throughout the years will not be lost in time, but will become clear and legible in the present. May the task not prove daunting, and may we celebrate our discoveries, one name at a time.

And behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet...and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to the fathers... (Malachi 4:5-6)